5 Boros 1 City: Bushwick

Bamboo in Bushwick

by Ed Cardona, Jr.

directed by Ana Margineanu

Commissioned by Working Theater as part of the FIVE BOROUGHS/ONE CITY Initiative.

Off-Broadway Premiere & Borough Tour:April –May, 2017

Bushwick was called home by locals long before any magazine called it hip. Bamboo in Bushwick explores gentrification in this suddenly trendy neighborhood from divergent angles.

As a group of old friends gather for a round of dominoes, outside forces converge on their street corner. In an alternate reality, inspired by the psychedelic murals that have taken over many walls in the neighborhood, a turf war breaks out on the icy tundra. Is there room in Brooklyn for both penguins and polar bears?

When your community is threatened, every block is worth fighting for.

Bamboo in Bushwick is part of Working Theater’s Five Boroughs/One City Initiative. The play was developed in partnership with Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (RBSCC), and through conversations with their members and members of Bushwick Salvation Army Community Center, El Puente Bushwick, Make the Road New York and the general Bushwick community.

Photo: Bushwick Community Engagement Workshop with Youth Power Project at Make the Road NY

Working Theater has been collaborating with the Bushwick community and members of RBSCC to engage with us in workshops, story circles, readings, and full productions. These events take place in community centers, arts spaces and facilities throughout Bushwick.

Prior Bushwick Events

BAMBOO IN BUSHWICK

Developmental Readings

Wednesday, March 1, 2017
6:30pm
at Mayday Space
176 St. Nicholas Ave., Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Free and Open to all
The last developmental reading of Bamboo in Bushwick, a sneak peek of our 2017 mainstage production before it premieres off-Broadway and tours the five boroughs in April/May!

In February 2016 we presented a reading of Bamboo in Bushwick with a developmental roundtable with the artists and members of the Bushwick Community.

Inter-generational Theater Workshop

In March 2016, we hosted an Inter-Generational Theater Workshop at RBSCC, facilitated by Tamilla Woodard.

Young adults between the ages of 13 – 19 and seniors 65 or better were invited to a workshop where participants wrote, interviewed and dialogued to create a collaborative original play.

Story Circles

In November – December 2015 we hosted 3 sessions of story circles within the community centers of the RBSCC, moderated by Reza Salazar and Yadira de la Riva. Residents came together to share stories, hopes and dreams, and to reflect on the meaning of community.